Large format Printing

[Dmax]

I see lot much here everything about retouching but whatever you do in your computer when it comes out on paper then it give you impact and when we talk about large format printing then definately how much you are capable comes out. Purpose of my thread is that we should also talk about printing and specially how to improve which standards are the best and classified and work/job or anything about printing also in this form,
Also want to add that no doubt that this site is for the retouching only may be but retouching is directly connected with photography and printing so if the photograph is taken well then definately photoshop will produce well and what if print will damage both efforts?? so simply we should discuss photography and printing also in this site and we should expand our vision here on one site...

what you say guys .............................................

[chet webley]

That depends on how large you mean by large format.

I run 2 printers here, one is 1600mm wide and uses solvent inks, one is 1320mm wide and uses aqueous inks. The work we do here is 95% signs, billboards and exhibitions, with the occasional photo print for local photographers.

if you are talking about that sort of stuff, you know like what you'd see on the side of a bus, or a building site hoarding, then in my experience the vast majority of the customers that we work for either:-

Don't have the faintest idea about image quality.

or

Don't care about image quality.

A lot of our customers are graphic designers, so if any images have been retouched, they will have outsourced that, or had it sent to them from their customer. From what I see, it seems that the ultimate quality TIFF / PSD / Whatever file gets sent to the magazine printers, and the large format printer gets a shonky JPG that's been stuffed into a PDF file that's been encoded wrong, all in an attempt to reduce filesize (quite why they want to do this, I don't know).

I get some most unusual looks when I request TIFFs or EPS files for printing from.

As I walk around Brighton, I see some frankly appalling large format printing, a lot of which is for movies on bus stops. The only really good large format printing I do get so see (apart from mine of course!), tends to be for high end jewellers or expensive clothes shops, and is in their shops.

I think this may be because, if an image is to be used in a magazine, it gets stared at, and looked at several times. A large format "advert" print is either moving, or the intended viewers are, so aren't really looked at properly.

[creativeretouch]

What do you think of "a Brilliant Museum Inkjet Paper" - I have seen few examples in the Calumet shop in London and I must say I like their surface. I agree - the best print comes out from Fuji Frontier or similar machine but this paper is really nice.

[girlsfather]

Originally Posted by creativeretouch

I agree - the best print comes out from Fuji Frontier or similar machine

As far as I know, the max width of a frontier print is 12" - unless you are not doing panoramas only, this will not really give you a large format ;-)

Michael

[creativeretouch]

Originally Posted by girlsfather

As far as I know, the max width of a frontier print is 12" - unless you are not doing panoramas only, this will not really give you a large format ;-)

Michael

Yes, you are right. I am sure you will be able to find a specialised company which is able to print "classic chemical process" on the larger format. Are we talking about printing for the advert company or for the fine art gallery?

[Dmax]

Thanks for commenting all of you, well I am using fuji frontier from last 8 years and Epson 9800 printers from last 4 years I think and in begining I was very happy with its output, I was printing on paper and canvas paper also but time to time I got to realiz and figured out that its result is not that good enough except canvas material give different look then I switched to Chromira printer and really in my openion that this is the finest printer because it produces better prints then fuji frontier and also very cost efficent also and its quiet easy to do bulk orders also epson printer is far away to produce big orders that is the reason why some times I feel that inkjet business is damaging professionalism and quantity in this business well I am concerned with indoor graphics either its for advert or for any gallery but chemical prints are way better and live longer then inkjet prints.
Purpose of my thread was that usually we have tremendous retouchers and graphic designers but keeping your work in computer or in small format or you can not stop in the middle to the street and open your computer's tiny screen it never give appreciation to your work but if you mount or frame your talent in your home and office and after hearing comments u get satisfied and improve and also in advert business I have seen big companies who cares a lot abt their product they make prints on dura trans(backlit prints on chemistry papwe) even which are extreamely lovable. and give extraordinary grace to your office shop or studio...

[Benny Profane]

Wow, dude, punctuate, please. Deep breaths, too.

[Dmax]

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[dazarooney]

Originally Posted by chet webley

As I walk around Brighton, I see some frankly appalling large format printing, a lot of which is for movies on bus stops. The only really good large format printing I do get so see (apart from mine of course!), tends to be for high end jewellers or expensive clothes shops, and is in their shops.

Yeah I've seen the same, it's really easy to spot the appalling stuff to the good stuff.